Lawyers, Lawyers, everywhere you look it seems like there are
lawyers. Or somebody’s relative is a lawyer. It is true that after the
creation of the Richardson School Of Law in 1973 the number of lawyers
in Hawaii has risen dramatically. It was the vision of the late, greatly
talented trial lawyer, Wallace Fujiyama, and the former Chief Justice
of the Hawaii Supreme Court, William Richardson, that Hawaii needed a
local law school of national prominence in order to cultivate local
talent as well as to incorporate local values.
According to the Hawaii State Bar Association, in 2011 there were
4632 actively practicing lawyers in Hawaii. Given a population
approaching 1.5 million, the ratio of attorneys was 29.3 per 10,000
persons. This ratio compared to 42.4 lawyers per 10,000 persons in
California and an incredible 774.9 lawyers per 10,000 persons in
Washington, D.C.
The relatively small size of the Hawaii Bar means that most of the
attorneys who practice personal injury law will get to know each other
over the years. Therefore, unlike some other jurisdictions, it is
important for lawyers to cultivate a reputation for integrity and for
civility. This atmosphere, although competitive, means that lawyers
don’t constantly have to live in fear that a commitment or promise given
by a colleague will be broken in an instant. In other larger cities,
such as Los Angeles and Manhattan, it is much more of a dog-eat-dog
environment in the legal sector.
Reference Source: Law Offices of Jan M. Weinberg
